Shooting An Elephant Essay Analysis

Shooting An Elephant Analysis

In the essay, Shooting an Elephant, written by George Orwell, makes references into today's society; Orwell's essay states how society wears "masks" and eventually grow to fit them and he was a slave to this, he was forced to be someone he wasn't. Through the documentary, Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Bell tells of the aftereffects that the "mask" that has been put on by America. Virginia Woolf's novel, A Room of One's Own, states how women have had expectations in society to be only a servant to their husband and children. Women writers breakthrough this stereotype and state the struggles of women with intelligence. These authors have displayed these expectations through different forms of art to inform people of the horrendous effects of the "mask" on society. Orwell's essay reflects on how Winston, the main character, was a part of the imperialism police force in Burma and he had to conform to what the natives wanted or he would have been humiliated. Winston was forced to live with a "mask" on covering his true self and his beliefs. An example that relates to this is highschool. Most teenagers believe that if they don't conform to be like the typical "popular kid" then no one will like them. The idea of "fitting in" requires for someone to ditch their beliefs in and believe what the more popular students believe. In addition, it can also make someone change their clothing or appearance, which is shown in Mean Girls. Whenever the new girl from Africa comes, she was accepted

Get more content

Throughout Orwell's literary career, he avidly stood against totalitarian and imperialistic forms of government. His two most famous works (1984 and Animal Farm) both exemplify this point, but at the same time weaken it. These two works were written in protest of those governments, but in a fictional back ground. In Orwell's essay Shooting an Elephant, he uses a personal experience to more clearly emphasize the impact of imperialism at the sociological and psychological level, in conjunction with other literary elements. This symposium of devices help drive the purpose of his paper and ultimately creates a more substantial impact on any reader.

The most obvious is his choice to...show more content...

This split of his mind on both his government, and the people forced upon him by his government.

By using a personal narrative, it opened the door to the use of a stream of consciousness style of story telling. He told the story as it happened to him, thus enabling the reader to relive this moment exactly as he did. The evolution of his thoughts from when he asked for the rifle and his epiphany could be clearly traced back. That he could tell from the begging he was going to kill the elephant but he did not know why until the end. The reader could follow this process step, by step, making the moment of climax much clearer and easier to understand. This presentation of ideas as the formed caused the impact on the reader to be much greater than he could of any other way. Another noticeable pattern was his use of repetition, either ideas or specific phrases. Throughout much of the latter half of the text, Orwell stated his unwillingness to shoot the beast. The reassertion of this fact only added to the pressure of committing the act. The fact that the thought of killing the elephant bothered him so, made the end more powerful. It not only emphasized his view, but also the sheer amount of pressure that this powerless crowd had on a superior authority. The pressure created by this imperialistic idea.

Get more content

Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant

By George Orwell

I.Intro

A.Title To Shoot or not to Shoot

B.Introduction Sentence (Hook Sentence)

C.About the author, George Orwell (1903–1950) British author his pen name was Eric Arthur Blair

D.The story is "Shooting an Elephant" published in 1946

E.Story is about a Burma village where an elephant got loose and wreaked havoc on the town and kills a villager (a man). George Orwell is the sheriff and ultimately makes the choice to kill the elephant.

F.THESIS: Although Orwell is justified, legally shooting the elephant is wrong because, the elephants "must" period was over, the way the animal was shot caused the animal to suffer, and Orwell violated his own beliefs because of peer pressure.

II.Body Par 1 (The elephants must was over)

A.When Orwell found the elephant the "must" period seemed to be over. "must" is when a bull elephant becomes highly aggressive due to a rise in reproductive hormones. Testosterone can rise 60 times higher than normal.

B.The elephant was now in a field peacefully eating grass.

1.Orwell states, "And at that distance, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow. I thought then and I think now that his attack of "must" was already passing off: in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about until the mahout came back and caught him (275).

C.The elephant had been chained up which is normal when they are about to enter the "must" time.

D.Since the elephant was no longer a threat, there is no need to shoot it. The elephant should have been left alone in the field until its owner came to claim him.

III.Body par 2 (The way the animal was shot caused it to suffer)

A.The manor to which the elephant was shot caused it to suffer. Orwell shot the elephant five times, it then took the elephant half an hour to die.

B.When Orwell first heard of the incident he took his .44 Winchester with him knowing that this was not the gun that was appropriate for this kind of problem.

C.When Orwell realized he would probably need to shoot the elephant he had the orderly go to a nearby friend's house to borrow an elephant gun.

D.Orwell should have had someone else soot the animal because he knew he was a bad shot, and he was not sure where he needed to aim to kill the elephant

Get more content

Shooting An Elephant Analysis

Pressure to Perform

(An analysis of George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant and it's three messages) Throughout history the most famous poets have devoted their entire lives to literature and in doing so, have become very well known. George Orwell easily became one of the most famous poets of the modern century. Although he did not grow up as an avid writer, he quickly made a name for himself. The officer would write one of a kind stories about his own experiences and the lessons learned from them. Resulting in a great amount of attention and praise for his excellent work.

Cindy Johnson, a biographer explains, "He wrote numerous essays and reviews over the years, developing a reputation for producing well–crafted literary criticism." This obviously meaning that Orwell endured a great deal of criticism in his officer duties as well as in his writings. One of Orwell's most famous poems is, Shooting An Elephant, in which he explains the messages of the effects of peer pressure, the realization of the importance of experiences long after they have happened, and the disappearance of imperialism. George Orwell first explains the effects of peer pressure in Shooting An Elephant. Peer pressure has always been and always will be in extreme issue in today's society. In schools, workplaces, and public areas many people are pressured into doing things that they would not choose to do on their own. Henry Jones, a child therapist explains, "Kids often give in to peer pressure because they want to fit in." Kids long to be able to fit in and be a part of what the cool kids are doing. Teenagers and children are not the only people who are struggling with always striving to impress those around them. Adults also struggle with this because of the constant need to have the nicest house, the best car, or the most expensive clothes. Materialistic things are an large part of peer pressure, but another aspect is actions. In Shooting An Elephant George Orwell explains, "The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at,"(lines 156–158). Orwell means that the only reason he shot the elephant was because of the the consequences of what would come to follow.

Get more content

In George Orwell's passage "Shooting an Elephant," he is portrayed as a timid, yet a pressured British officer in the Burmese society. Orwell's position concerning human motives is based on his self–perseverance of living in an imperialistic country. Throughout the entire essay, Orwell actions as an officer are only carried out to satisfy the people in the colony. In the first line of the essay, he states his claim of hatred that is prevalent to the reader "I was hated by large numbers of people– the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me." (1100) This statement is ironic because the condition of being hated on should not have a positive effect on a person, in some cases hatred would make the speaker

Get more content

Entitlement of Decision Making (A critique of Shooting an Elephant...) "Unanticipated choices one is forced to make can have long–lasting effects" (Crask). George Orwell was the top novelist of the 20th century. In this personal narrative, he describes a dark experience that he often uses to describe the events of his life. Through this essay, he creates a personal narrative that allows a sad story to be enraged between the messages that are involved creating into the messages of this story. George Orwell takes his personal experiences that he struggles with to establish new meanings through trials of his life that he knows he can learn from. In "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, there are many messages that are entangled into the personal narrative. In "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, one prime message is the idea that we are constantly being placed under peer pressure. Depending on who we surround ourselves with determines the types of decisions we tend to make. "Only surround yourself with people who will lift you higher" (Winfrey). When we are placed in awkward situations, if we are around people who influence us dramatically may help us make the decision we might not think we would have made in the first place. Although we may not always see or feel pressured, we are constantly being placed in uncomfortable situations in which causes us to make decisions we know are not what we want. As peer pressure constantly nags at us, eventually whatever we are being peer pressured into seems as though it might be the only answer to all our issues. As we continually place ourselves in those types of situations, it can often be hard to bring ourselves up from digging a hole in the first place. An impeccable example internally of the story, Orwell composes, "The crowd laughed at me. And my whole life, every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at" (Page 1323). George decides he does not have a desire to be viewed as a fool, as all he wants to do is give off a positive outlook for others to experience as he protects his people. We do things to be accepted by others is another example of a message that can be educated through the personal narrative "Shooting an Elephant" Get more content

In "Shooting an Elephant," George Orwell achieves two achievements : he shows us his personal experience and his expression while he was in Burma; he use the metaphor of the elephant to explain to describe what Burma looked like when it was under the British Imperialism. The special about this essay is that Orwell tells us a story not only to see the experience that he had in Burma; he also perfectly uses the metaphor of the elephant to give us deep information about the Imperialism. By going through this essay, we can deeply understand what he thinks in his head. He successfully uses the word choices and the sentences to express his feeling. By reading this essay, Orwell succeeds us with his mesmerizing sentences and shows us the...show more content...

Orwell uses this metaphor of an elephant's rage and destruction of homes, theft of food shelves, and even killings as an example to the inner working of imperialism. Metaphorically, Orwell expands his argument about how imperialism is tyrannical towards to the Burmese people by comparing an elephant's rage to the British Empire's invasion of Burma and its destruction of the native life. Similarly, the elephant's theft of food represents the oppressed of the British Empire's imperialism has brought upon the Burmese people. They try to implement their aim of domination upon Burma without any care upon the Burmese way of life. This event not only makes the oppressed country become the victims of the imperialism, but it also is the foundation of Orwell's dilemma regarding the killing of an elephant or the peer pressure he feels towards killing. In short, the use of metaphorical devices found throughout Orwell's narrative help emphasizing the similarities of imperialism to that of an elephant ravaging through a town, illustrating the true effects it has upon the Burmese people. Beyond the use of metaphorical techniques, Orwell also uses vivid imagery to the strongest extent, to further his stand against the imperial forces. Under the oppression of British imperialism, the Burmese people become "wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock–ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long–term convicts" (Orwell 285). Orwell applies

Get more content

Shooting An Elephant Analysis

"Shooting an Elephant" is based upon George Orwell experience with the Indian Imperial Police. As a British officer, the narrator was "all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British. This confines a universal experience of going against one's own humanity at the cost of a part of that humanity. Throughout the story, the narrator feels that imperialism is evil, because he feels that imperialism restricts the freedom of the natives reducing them to inferior status in their own soil. Although he was against killing an elephant, he processed on doing it. What the author was conveying to the audience is that we have decisions in life that will impact us for life. We need to take into consideration of the choices before we chose

Get more content

Technique Analysis of 'Shooting an elephant'

Written by George Orwell

Essay by Arthur Diennet

In 1936, George Orwell published his short story 'Shooting an elephant' in an English magazine. Since then, it has been republished dozens of times and holds a place as a definitive anti–colonial piece of literature, in an era where the British Empire was at its peak and covered almost 1/3 of the Earth's surface. George Orwell believed that "...imperialism was an evil thing..." and uses much themes, symbolism and irony to convey his strong anti–colonialist feelings.

Theme is an integral part of this story and is mostly presented through the narrator. One of the major themes of the story is conscience, in which many of the conflicts in the...show more content...

By popular thinking of that day, disorientating violence exacted on the community can only be dealt with through an equal and opposite reaction of violence toward the exacter. An old saying throughout Europe goes 'Do not hunt monsters, lest you wish to become one yourself.' Yet, his order and disorder themes lend greatly to the senses of symbolism in the story. Orwell employs symbolism as a major literary technique, aiding our understanding of his stance against colonialism and our understanding of the setting. From the start, it is clear that he represents the modern, the western industrial English, at complete odds with the rural and primitive Burmese. It is believed that the focal symbolic point would be the narrators stand against the elephant. In the paragraph in which the narrator fires at the elephant, it is seen as docile, not bothering anyone anymore and having only made a sporadic wrong. The narrator then fires at the quite calm elephant once, but it does not fall and so, while it is still weak, he fires two more shots, bringing the magnificent creature down. Burma (The country in which the story is situated) has a long history of wars with the British Empire before finally giving in to Colonialism; three wars to be exact. It can be seen in the history books that Burma only wronged the British in a minor way and in fact was not directly bothering the British Raj and much like the narrator, it

Conflicting Values George Orwell writes an autobiography story called Shooting an elephant, he wrote the story in 1936, 50 years into British rule. In this story George talks about how two values collide in conflict and he is forced to decide which one he values more. The two values that come into question are the value of the animal's life and the value of being accepted. The event that is forcing George Orwell to choose what value he has a stronger belief in is a must elephant that has tormented the village. He called for a gun in case he needed it for self defence, but he had no intentions to use the gun unless completely necessary, he even said, "I did not want to shoot the elephant". Two thousand Burmans gathered around the streets for

Get more content

Critical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant

In George Orwell's story 'Shooting an Elephant', insight is given into the life of an oppressor in the British Empire. Orwell, having undergone a significant personal experience, illustrates his experience of imperialism and the resounding effects is has on the ethical conduct and ideals of man, not only of the oppressed but also in regards of the oppressor. Orwell's 'Shooting an Elephant' attempts to convey the sacrifice of one's morality in service of imperialism. Through the spread of the British Empire and the colonialization of the Burmese people, we view the overwhelming resentment that exists from the behaviour of the oppressed, uniquely through the eyes of an imperialist. As a result of this animosity, Orwell plays the role that is...show more content...

With further investigation into the story, Orwell is aware of the dehumanising view of the Burmese people under oppression. Upon learning of the rampaging elephant, he describes it as "a tame one which had gone 'must'. It had been chained up, as tame elephants always are when their attack of 'must' is due." (Orwell, 3). The Burmese people are viewed by their oppressors as "savage(s)" (Orwell, 6) who must be brought to order and shown the correct form of civilization. The lack of moral integrity towards those oppressed is outlined by Banerjee:

"The relationship between British officials and native Indians was hierarchical and charged with racial arrogance" (Banerjee, 781) This racial discrimination conveys the lack of humanity the British have learned towards any whom they deem different and therefore inferior. The shooting of the elephant is "comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery" (Orwell, 6) and the objectification of the oppressed under imperialism lives on.

The deplorable treatment of the Burmese people leads to ever growing hostilities between the oppressors and the oppressed. Orwell experiences this hatred first hand while working in Burma, making particular note of the Buddhist priests, afraid for their religion, who "stand on corners and jeer at Europeans" (Orwell, 1). Despite the open hostility that the Burmese people continue to openly

Get more content

George Orwell, author of, "Shooting an Elephant" reveals his inner conflicts to the audience by offering in depth description, using intensity, and symbolism through the act of shooting the elephant. His narration helps him do so by giving descriptive scenarios in the story. Orwell's narration can also be used to examine the role of India and Great Britain at the story's time in history. The narration then allows Orwell to use symbolism in place of description. Orwell uses narration to help explain his inner conflicts and to what is happening in each setting of the story. In the story Orwell writes "I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British" (Orwell 3). In this story Orwell is a police officer for the British empire and he explains in his quote he is in fact against the British. On the contrary, the Burmese people treat Orwell terribly, for the mere reason of him being a British police officer. Orwell states "I was sub–divisional police officer of the town, and in an aimless, petty kind of way anti–European feeling was very bitter," (Orwell 3). This clearly states that the Burmese do not like him, whether he liked them or not. Owen then described in the text, certain situation where they would disrespect a European "No one had the guts...show more content... George Orwell, author of, "Shooting an Elephant" gives detailed scenarios to help the audience discover different interpretations of his inner conflicts. He then connects his piece to historical events in India that involved the British empire, he does so by using symbolism in place of description in his story. Narration is used to aid in interpreting Orwell's inner conflicts throughout the story such as killing the elephant, his conflict with the Burmese people, and finally the imperialism Britain had over

Get more content

Shooting An Elephant

People do not always do what is right. Sometimes, they stray from the path that is laid out in front of them. George Orwell shines light on this topic. In his story Shooting an Elephant, Orwell talks about being a British police officer in Burma. The Burmese people really didn't like the British people at this time. The entire time the British occupied this Island, there was a power struggle. InGeorge Orwell's narrative essay Shooting an Elephant, the three main messages are imperialism, peer pressure, and fear.

The first message in George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant is imperialism. Imperialism is when a strong country takes over a weaker country and runs it. This is what the British did to Burma. Throughout the story there is a constant power struggle between the Burmese and the British. At the beginning of the story it looks like the British hold all the power. But, at the end of the story the reader realises that the Burmese people actually hold all the power. He did not want to make the people with the power angry.

In Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, the second message is peer pressure. Peer pressure is often related to hormone–crazed teens who don't know how to control their emotions. This is not always the case. The British police officer knows that he should not shoot the...show more content...

Fear can make people do things that they would not normally do. People who are driven by fear are people who can do anything. The elephant is afraid so he tramples over houses and people. The police officer is afraid that the Burmese will laugh at him if he does not shoot the elephant. This fear eats him alive until he does something he knows he will regret. Orwell says on page 1324, "For at that moment, with the crowd watching me, I was not afraid in the ordinary sense, as I would have been if I had been alone." Fear is the driving force for people to do

Shooting An Elephant Analysis

The Expectation

(A Discussion on Three Messages from George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant)

George Orwell was born in colonial India but was educated in England. When Britain created and empire, Orwell had been working for the police of the British Army in the location ofBurma. Orwell realized there was something wrong with certain ways of government and that their is cultural conflicts. "Convinced that human decency and common sense were the basis of a just society, the author repeatedly found himself in conflict with the ideological mass movements of his time, ranging from capitalism to fascism and communism"(Gale). With the realization of these things, Orwell based many of his stories off of cultural differences, and the negatives of different types of government. In George Orwell's short story Shooting an Elephant, Orwell explains his bitter days of being a police officer in Burma. Shooting an Elephant explains three important messages Orwell learned while in Burma.

In George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant, Orwell expresses the message of peer pressure. In the story the officer in Burma is forced to make a difficult decision. An elephant in Burma was in must, or in heat, and it causes the elephant to go on a rampage. The elephant ends up killing a man. The police officer is called upon to take care of the situation and calls for a gun that is able to penetrate an elephant's skin, getting the gun only for his protection. When the police officer reaches the

Get more content

Thematic Interpretation of George Orwell's "Shooting and Elephant"

In George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant", the narrator experiences three main conflicts. One conflict being with the British Empire, due to it's unjust occupation of Burma, another with the Burmese people because of their mockery and disrespect toward him, and finally, he is in conflict with himself due to his struggle with his conscience and self–image. All three conflicts complicate his ability to make objective, clear–headed decisions. There are multiple themes in this story but I believe the theme that suits the story best is the evil and disfunction in Imperialism. It is the main cause of all of the narrators conflicts. Just one of the many things imperialism does is it humiliates the occupied people. It then provokes the occupiers into making immoral decisions. Imperialists also colonize countries and in doing so, it restricts the freedom of the natives....show more content...

Through

out the entire time that Imperialism existed, imperialists have changed their grounds and strategies in imperialistic rules, but the ultimate objective has remained the same; to rule and exploit the natives. Imperialism is a state of mind, fueled by the arrogance of superiority that could be adopted by any nation irrespective of it's geographical location in the world. "Shooting an Elephant," is of importance because in it, lies how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In the essay the elephant and Orwell help to prove that Imperialism is a double edged knife, so to speak. The killing of the elephant is the incident that reveals that Imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in imperialistic relationships. The British officer, Orwell displays many aspects of being the ridiculous puppet under the institution of

Get more content

Kylie Murphy Professor Wilson

WR 122 5 February 2015

Analysis Essay George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" is a story about the experience of the narrator who was asked to shoot a wild elephant. He was a police officer who worked for British imperialists and killing the elephant would help him receive good judgement from the villagers in Burma. Orwell says that imperialism is evil and should be eliminated while others think that it is good for the public. The purpose of Orwell's story is to show the audience that imperialism is harmful and not as good as people think. Orwell uses various literary techniques to show the irony of the whole situation. Orwell's tone is very blunt and outspoken. He convinces the audience that imperialism has a negative impact on those being governed under the imperialist's power by using his background, ethos, pathos, and imagery. Orwell's background played a big role in the essay. He is famous for being a political satirist. In "Shooting an Elephant ", Orwell briefly states his opinions on imperialism. He shows feelings of anxiety, fear, and hatred about the position he is in. Orwell said, "As for the job he was doing, he hated it more bitterly than he can perhaps make clear" (Orwell 278). Although he worked for the British imperialists, he hated what he was doing. Although he didn't want to, he was put in a position where he had to do what the villagers wanted him to do. In this case it was shooting the elephant. In the story

Get more content

George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Analysis

The narrator is a colonial policeman in British Burma who is disrespected from the natives. He strongly opposes the oppressive British rule of Burma and the rest of India. When Orwell hears about an elephant on the loose that injuries a man and ends up killing him he feels compelled to kill the elephant in ordered to not be humiliated by the town. From my perspective the author's claim is how it caused pressure and humiliation within himself because he did not want to shoot the elephant because it really was not dangerous anymore, but all the people around caused him so much pressure that he did what he thought it was right. As he says ''I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool''

Get more content

Shooting An Elephant Analysis

George Orwell's 1936 "Shooting an Elephant," is a nonfiction narrative essay about an incident that occurred during the time of Orwell's service as a police officer in Burma. The essay is centered around an event in which he was forced to shoot an elephant, resulting in a battle between his own personal beliefs and the expectations of those around him. In human nature, often times, humans will play certain roles which are dictated by what others expect of them. Humans will adapt to the environment by any necessary means to survive. The moral dilemma Orwell struggles with is clear through all stages of the essay, from beginning to end.

"Shooting an Elephant" is about a conflicted period of Orwell's life. The essay begins with struggle...show more content...

He is controlled by the will of the crowd. He has no choice but to shoot the elephant; there is an obligation to perform for the Burmese people. He becomes a puppet, performing the act of killing the elephant to impress the Burmese. He will let them down and they will see through his act if he doesn't follow through with shooting the elephant. Most importantly, he will give them cause to laugh at him.

As the essay comes to a climax, Orwell decides in order to avoid the embarrassment, he must kill the elephant. Orwell gives significant attention to the description of the elephant's death. He explains the death of the elephant through every stage from the first shot, to the moment when it falls to its knees. In giving the elephant's death such great attention, a sense of inner conflict is felt yet again; a conflict at the heart of Orwell. He feels a sense of guilt as he tries to justify shooting the elephant, in which, he felt was morally wrong. He says, "Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if its owner fails to control it" (317–18). Orwell knows that he should not have have killed the elephant, although he tries to deny this fact because he wants to convince himself he made the right choice in doing so. To conclude, Orwell uses his experience to conveys the evil that results from inner conflict due to pressures from the Burmese

Get more content

Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant is a short story written by George Orwell that takes place in Burma. In this short story George Orwell writes about a life experience he had while he was a young police officer in Burma. Orwell did not enjoy his time in Burma because of the lack of connections he was able to make with people there. He did not agree with the way they ran things, didn't get along with the people, and had a great amount of hatred for his job. On top of Orwell disliking all of this, the people in Burma made it obvious to him that they did not appreciate him either. While Orwell was at a soccer game, he was purposely tripped and instead of anyone showing sympathy for him, everyone yelled out with laughter. Orwell was having a tough time adjusting and badly wanted to get out of Burma. However he was patiently waiting for a big moment he could take advantage of and get the people of Burma to gain a little respect for him. Then one day his opportunity came. The opportunity in front of him was as big as he could imagine. While I was reading this story, I was very engaged and was always wondering what was going to happen next. There were many parts of this short story that people could connect to. For example, Orwell was having a tough time adjusting to his new culture. I personally do not connect to that, but I know that many other people in this world are able to connect with Orwell's tough time adjusting. If the reader is able to connect to a story/book on a personal level, it makes it a lot more enjoyable (easier) to read. Connecting to a story keeps a reader very engaged to the book and makes them want to keep reading to see how the author/character handles their situation. There was one big event in this story that I and in my opinion just about everybody should be able to connect too. Towards the end of the short story, Orwell was faced with a tough decision. Orwell was having a normal day, dreading but getting through his job, and all of a sudden something happened. He had gotten word that an elephant had been loose around town ruining everything in its path and even killing one civilian. Orwell was the first to the scene and initially did not know how to react. While he was Get

Rhetorical

Devices In Shooting An Elephant

Muhammad Moiz Khan

2018–11–0165

WnC – Section 5

Raazia Waseem

13th November 2014

Rhetorical Analysis of "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell

"Shooting an Elephant" is an essay written by George Orwell, who was an Assistant Superintendent in the British Indian Imperial Police inBurma from 1922 to 1927. The essay was published in 1936. Burma was occupied by the British over a period of 62 years (1823–1886) and it was directed as a province of India until it became a separate colony in 1937. In the essay, Orwell narrates the scene of the killing of an elephant in Burma and expresses the feelings that he goes through during the event. The writer's theme is that imperialism is not an effective way of governing. It can be decoded through his...show more content...

He uses imagery to help the readers picture the situation. Imagery is best used when he describes the moments he shot the elephant. He describes the Burmese very clearly, and stresses on how the animal reacted to the gunshots. He chronologically describes the scene after every gunshot that was fired. "And then down he came, his belly towards me, with a crash that shook the ground." "The thick blood came out of him like red velvet" are examples of imagery used by the writer. He describes the huge crowd before him as a "sea of yellow faces." He also uses similes in various parts of his essay, for instance when he talked about the crowd that followed him he says, "They were watching me as they would watch a conjurer about to perform a trick". The reader can also infer from the essay Orwell's racism. He repeatedly uses "yellow faces" and "white man" to differentiate the Burmese from the